Pay for cnas is unusually consistent across the country: $22,850 at the bottom of the range, $56,840 at the top, a spread of only 2.49×. Where you work matters less for this role than it does for most — which usually points to pay being set by structure (scales, licensure, collective agreements) rather than local bidding.
From $33,940 at the 10th percentile to $51,980 at the 90th is only 1.53×, which is narrow. Pay for cnas is set more by structure than by individual outcome — scales, steps, licensure. That makes income predictable and makes the ceiling real: the way to earn materially more is usually to change role or location, not to out-perform within this one.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) leads and San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas (PR) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $56,840 | $27.33 | 0.51 | 5,350 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $56,080 | $26.96 | 0.53 | 11,790 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $51,990 | $25.00 | 0.85 | 16,530 |
| Napa CA | $50,370 | $24.21 | 0.64 | 460 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA | $50,350 | $24.21 | 0.79 | 8,890 |
| Bend OR | $50,080 | $24.08 | 0.62 | 620 |
| Boulder CO | $49,860 | $23.97 | 0.58 | 1,030 |
| Grants Pass OR | $49,770 | $23.93 | 1.48 | 420 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $49,270 | $23.69 | 0.9 | 79,480 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | $49,240 | $23.67 | 0.65 | 1,250 |
| Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | $49,160 | $23.63 | 0.97 | 850 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $49,110 | $23.61 | 0.69 | 10,350 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes WA | $49,020 | $23.57 | 1.01 | 500 |
| Vallejo CA | $48,900 | $23.51 | 0.7 | 940 |
| Vineland NJ | $48,890 | $23.51 | 1.32 | 770 |
| Salinas CA | $48,870 | $23.50 | 0.62 | 1,070 |
| Salem OR | $48,840 | $23.48 | 0.79 | 1,390 |
| Corvallis OR | $48,830 | $23.48 | 0.95 | 340 |
| Lewiston-Auburn ME | $48,570 | $23.35 | 1.55 | 690 |
| Albany OR | $48,550 | $23.34 | 1.21 | 530 |
| Coast Oregon nonmetropolitan area | $48,530 | $23.33 | 0.9 | 960 |
| Barnstable Town MA | $48,520 | $23.33 | 1.17 | 1,030 |
| Wenatchee-East Wenatchee WA | $48,520 | $23.33 | 0.91 | 440 |
| Eugene-Springfield OR | $48,320 | $23.23 | 1.05 | 1,540 |
| Burlington-South Burlington VT | $48,190 | $23.17 | 0.94 | 1,060 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $22,850 | $10.99 | 0.05 | 290 |
| Northeast Louisiana nonmetropolitan area | $28,980 | $13.94 | 2.15 | 1,250 |
| Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area | $29,020 | $13.95 | 2.2 | 1,590 |
| Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area | $29,250 | $14.06 | 1.44 | 1,080 |
| Southwest Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $29,680 | $14.27 | 1.83 | 1,100 |
| Dothan AL | $29,830 | $14.34 | 1.64 | 930 |
| Monroe LA | $29,880 | $14.36 | 1.64 | 1,340 |
| Hot Springs AR | $29,940 | $14.39 | 2.25 | 810 |
| Lafayette LA | $29,960 | $14.40 | 1.19 | 1,990 |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux LA | $30,140 | $14.49 | 0.81 | 630 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwest Nebraska nonmetropolitan area | $40,860 | $19.64 | 2.75 | 1,000 |
| Homosassa Springs FL | $34,510 | $16.59 | 2.56 | 850 |
| Pinehurst-Southern Pines NC | $36,930 | $17.76 | 2.38 | 950 |
| Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | $30,820 | $14.82 | 2.38 | 1,380 |
| East Kentucky nonmetropolitan area | $35,330 | $16.99 | 2.36 | 2,020 |
| Kansas nonmetropolitan area | $36,820 | $17.70 | 2.35 | 8,200 |
| Greenville NC | $39,480 | $18.98 | 2.3 | 1,730 |
| East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area | $47,110 | $22.65 | 2.27 | 1,340 |
| Hot Springs AR | $29,940 | $14.39 | 2.25 | 810 |
| Northwest Iowa nonmetropolitan area | $39,070 | $18.79 | 2.25 | 3,070 |
| Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area | $29,020 | $13.95 | 2.2 | 1,590 |
| Kankakee IL | $37,900 | $18.22 | 2.18 | 860 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $49,270 | $23.69 | 0.9 | 79,480 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $46,940 | $22.57 | 1.09 | 45,850 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $47,380 | $22.78 | 0.74 | 43,090 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $46,220 | $22.22 | 1.14 | 30,680 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $47,590 | $22.88 | 1.04 | 26,130 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $45,730 | $21.99 | 0.87 | 25,520 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $38,010 | $18.28 | 0.89 | 23,490 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $38,530 | $18.53 | 0.62 | 23,420 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $39,350 | $18.92 | 0.86 | 23,260 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $37,970 | $18.26 | 0.63 | 19,230 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MI | $39,900 | $19.18 | 0.98 | 17,300 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $51,990 | $25.00 | 0.85 | 16,530 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 31-1131. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates cover 516 of 528 metropolitan areas — near-complete coverage, which means the ranges above are reliable rather than drawn from a handful of markets. Read the methodology.